UC San Diego Center for Community Health was recently awarded the facilitation of the Childhood Obesity Initiative beginning November 1, 2019. We are excited to continue the great work and partnerships that have been built, and eager to support the COI and its members.
The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative (COI) was created in 2006 as a public-private partnership with the mission of reducing and preventing childhood obesity through policy, systems, and environmental change strategies.
In the past 13 years, there has been a lot of accomplishments with the collective efforts of over 400 partners; yet as the COI’s recently released report shows, much work still needs to be done.
As of 2018, nearly 1 out of every 3 children across San Diego County was overweight or obese, and vast disparities exist among children of racial and ethnic minorities and children living in poverty.
Community Health Improvement Partners has been the gracious steward of the COI, serving as the backbone of the initiative since its inception in 2012. We are thankful for all of the hard work, leadership, and behind the scene efforts in championing this work.
The COI was established as a public-private partnership and this collaborative spirit continues to guide its work. Over the years, the COI has developed an infrastructure that includes active domain workgroups; engagement of volunteer leaders or “champions” in each domain; engagement of new and existing partners; organization and project evaluation; and domain council meetings to allow for cross-domain collaborative opportunities.
By engaging agencies, institutions, organizations, neighborhoods, and individuals to work together to combat childhood obesity, the COI is leveraging existing resources and promising practices.
UC San Diego looks forward to coordinating and sustaining county-wide efforts to prevent and reduce childhood obesity. We will work closely with all of the COI partners to provide leadership and vision, provide advocacy and education, and assess and report on progress toward county-wide goals.
The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative is a public-private partnership with the mission of reducing and preventing childhood obesity through policy, systems, and environmental change. The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative is a program of Live Well San Diego: Healthy Works and implemented by UC San Diego Center for Community Health.
To learn more information on the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, you can visit the website: www.sdcoi.org
To join the email listserv to receive updates on domain working group meetings and announcements, please email [email protected].